


A Heart I Swear I'd Recognize

by stopmopingstarthoping



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Almost Everyone - Freeform, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Drunkenness, Hair Braiding, Islands, M/M, Post-Canon, Romantic Fluff, Shirtless, Wedding Fluff, Whiskey & Scotch, outdoor saps
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-17
Updated: 2019-02-17
Packaged: 2019-10-30 01:31:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17819282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stopmopingstarthoping/pseuds/stopmopingstarthoping
Summary: Nyx and Gladio finally get hitched, and share some time together before the wedding.





	A Heart I Swear I'd Recognize

“A boat, huh?” Gladio squinted at it with the barest hint of a frown before looking down at Nyx. Been a long damn time since he’d been on a boat, and the memory wasn’t a great one. Nyx jumped up ahead of him with more energy than someone who’d been up as late as he had the night before really should have, and Gladio shook his head and chuckled. Nyx took his hand and slapped the other one against Gladio’s elbow, pulling him aboard. Gray-blue eyes sparkled into Gladio’s own, and he couldn’t help catching that contagious grin.

“Yeah, a boat. No roads between here and there, and you might be pretty fancy, but flying’s wasteful, even for you.”

Gladio snorted in response, watching Nyx wave at the captain, who nodded and pulled the boat away from the dock. Shimmering blue water spread out in a calm sheen before them, and he breathed in the scent of fresh sea air, strolling slowly behind Nyx. Nyx had darted to the railing, looking exactly where the island nation of Galahd awaited them, though it wasn’t yet visible on the horizon.

“It doesn’t take long. Just about an hour and a half. Been workin’ with Luna on getting a permanent ferry, a few times a day.” Nyx looked off into the distance again, and Gladio could tell he was envisioning it.

“Directly with the Queen, but _I’m_ the fancy one. Got it.” Another grin cracked Gladio’s face, and Nyx’s lips echoed it, though his gaze across the water didn’t falter.

“There’re a lot of jobs in Lucis. Be good to give people an easy way to get here without chartering a boat.” Nyx paused for a moment, ruminating over the new travel route satisfiedly before asking, “Everyone else coming the day before?”

Gladio nodded. “Yeah - taking Noct’s boat.” The two of them leaned on the railing next to one another, calmed by the steady forward progress of the boat, occasionally rocking rhythmically through the waves. They were quiet for a long while, listening to the soft sounds of waves and the faint cries of sea birds as they drew further away from shore. Gladio felt the faint spray sprinkle his forearms, and realized it had been far too long since he spent a good amount of time outside. He was grateful for Nyx’s plans for the two of them once they arrived - the ones he’d been able to ferret out of him, anyway.

The breeze ruffled Nyx’s dark strands and set his braids swinging. “Wasn’t sure we’d make it this far.” Without looking down, Gladio’s fingers sought Nyx’s scarred ones next to him. His heart thudded pleasantly when they wrapped around his own.

Nyx moved their hands to rest where the massive scar rested under Gladio’s shirt, and chuckled quietly. “Hypocrite.” When Gladio turned to look at him, Nyx’s eyes flicked to the old, weathered scar that sliced through his forehead, and Gladio laughed, as his thumb traced the patterns seared into the back of Nyx’s hand.

“You’re an idiot.”

Nyx nodded energetically. “Yep.” He propped a foot up on the railing. “Looks like we deserve each other.”

Gladio felt an easy smile slide around the corner of his mouth. By now, he knew Nyx’s matching grin before he turned and saw it, but he treasured it all the same.

* * *

Nyx swung the door open and looked around, pleased. The Paltroix family - some kind of distant second cousins, or something, he’d never been quite sure on that point - had offered up a tiny cottage for this week, and it was perfect. Shafts of fading sunlight warmed weathered, grained floorboards, and after depositing their boots and socks by the door, they enjoyed the brush of their bare feet against the smooth surface. They dropped their small packs with the rest of their things in the tiny back bedroom and moved to relax in the living room.

Gladio leaned back on the couch and laid an arm across the back. One glance - one quirk of those insufferably adorable eyebrows, and Nyx curled in next to him. Sweaty in the heat, their skin stuck, and they laughed.

“Goddamn furnace as always, babe.”

“Hey, it’s hot out there.” They had spent the entire day clambering around on the cliffs Nyx loved, and other than an unexpected playful dunk in the salt-sprayed rocks near the water’s edge, they’d been climbing all day. It was exhilarating, and bringing Gladio to his favorite places - some of which he’d never taken another person to - was one of the best days he’d had in a long, long time. Watching his face as he took in some of the views had been priceless, and they’d shared several moments that were silent but intimate - Nyx had been struck by the look of reverence and peace in Gladio’s face.

The sun had burned out all of the stress, the Citadel-induced staleness. The intolerable amounts of meetings and paperwork were necessary for rebuilding a nation, but it was goddamned good to get away from it all once in a while. Nyx made a mental note to tell Luna to get Noct out in the sun and on a climb while they were here. They’d struck up a firm friendship, partly through an unexpected discovery that the Queen was an avid climber herself. Noctis was...less enthusiastic about the activity, but could be enticed with the prospect of fishing. All else failed, Prompto would inevitably drag both of them up just for the photo ops. He couldn’t wait for Prom’s badly-disguised horror at their shitty camera pics from today.

Nyx smiled absently, and was drawn back out of his thoughts by a finger pulling a strand of hair back from his cheek. The ceiling fan spun lazily above them, stirring the air, but not much. Greeted with the gorgeous profile of his fiance, he couldn’t help but capture full lips in a kiss as he rose up off the couch.

“Got an idea to cool off. Hold on.” He trotted off to the kitchen and returned with a bottle of amber liquid and two glasses with ice. He laughed when he saw that Gladio had taken the opportunity to divest himself of his shirt. He avoided leaning a sweaty back against their borrowed couch, and the broad planes of his body downright shimmered in the rays of the sun setting outside.

“First your favorite cliffs, now your favorite whiskey. I’m spoiled - feels like I’m just along for the ride here.”

Nyx laughed. “You’re here - that’s enough. And you got us out of a ridiculously formal state wedding in Insomnia, for which you have my eternal gratitude.” He poured the whiskey and grew serious for a moment. “I do have a contribution for you to make though. And don’t laugh - it’s super important to my Aunt Portia. You do _not_ want to get on her bad side.”  
He held a glass up to the light, admiring the color before he handed it to Gladio. “Just like your eyes.”

Gladio rolled those beautiful honey-colored eyes and laughed. “Fucking flatterer. Whatever this is, I’m starting to get nervous.” He accepted the glass and looked at Nyx.

“Nah, it’s no big deal.” Nyx motioned at the small braids dangling behind his ear. “Just this, but more of it. Ornate, kinda. I’ll show you.” He went to fetch a comb from his bag. He came back with it, and a pile of hand-whittled beads, along with long, thin strips of leather dyed various colors to weave in and secure everything. Lib had given them to Nyx as an early wedding present, and he’d been truly moved. Who else would know just how to do it? They were perfect, and brought back memories of family weddings while being truly their own, too. Nyx was excited to show them to Gladio.

He leaned over for Nyx to show him each one, eyes darting with interest back and forth between the items in Nyx’s palm and the expression on his face.

“So, we got two days. Tonight’s just a practice run.” He pointed to the floor between his feet, and Gladio happily arranged himself. Nyx combed through long, smooth deep brown strands, carefully untangling knots the wind had made, and smiled at the small happy rumbling noises Gladio made.

One large braid along the top, for the Amicitias. He left this one unbound partway back, as a nod to Gladio’s status as a mainlander. His fingers pushed into the still-sweaty roots of Gladio’s hair, and he heard a deep sigh.

“Your fingers are magic, you know.”

Nyx laughed in response. “Pay attention, you big sap. I’m trying to explain this.”

Gladio’s hand reached up to feel what he was doing, and he nodded as much as he could with Nyx’s fingers buried in his strands. “Right. Aunt Portia’s wrath.” A tease of humor lay under his mock seriousness, but he sat obediently quient while Nyx explained the rest. Weaving the sections together, Nyx explained how it related to the simple ceremony that waited in two days, but as the whiskey drained lower, he veered off into stories and reminiscence as well. Gladio asked the occasional quiet question, but mostly just leaned into Nyx or trailed fingers lazily up his leg.

Gladio stepped into the bathroom to check out Nyx’s handiwork, and turned his head back and forth. “Looks cool.” He walked slowly back into the living room, relaxed from the whiskey and the day’s climb, and from the soothing touches against his hair and scalp for the past hour as Nyx worked.

They switched positions, Nyx flipping off his own shirt in acknowledgement of the heat, and it was Gladio’s turn to comb through Nyx’s hair. He did it slowly and lovingly, and Nyx laughed. “Charmer. So do you know how to make a braid?”

“Yeah.” Gladio started copying the middle braid Nyx had made first on his own head.

Nyx’s eyebrows shot up in appreciation. “I’m impressed. Little sisters, huh?”

Gladio grinned as he smoothed hair back from Nyx’s forehead with the comb. “You got it.” His tone was gentle, telling Nyx that he knew that Selena’s absence was one of the hardest parts of this whole thing. He relaxed under Gladio’s touch and sipped in warm content.

He had been paying attention - Nyx reached up to find neat, straight braids, leather  twists wound in and around them. Gladio's hands stilled and rested on Nyx's shoulders for a moment, and Nyx looked back to compliment him.

The sun-warmed shade of Gladio’s skin, the glowing amber depths of his eyes, the clear tones of the whiskey, the yellow flickering flames of the candles, the blonde-brown wood of the floorboards - they all swirled in Nyx’s head dizzily as he tipped his head back. Fingertips grazed the stubbled skin of his neck, and he felt a tingle follow the touch.

Gladio was already pressing lips to Nyx's face, his cheeks, working his way down to his lips. He bent forward to fit their mouths together - on the same page as usual. It felt odd, but great, upside down. Nyx reached a hand up to pull Gladio closer. The warmth and the whiskey and his lover had distracted him, and the rest of the lesson was going to have to wait.

Gladio’s tongue licked lightly at Nyx’s lips, and Nyx wound his fingers into silky chestnut braids, thinking again how nice it was that Gladio had grown it out. The low rumble from Gladio of agreement confirmed the wisdom of that particular decision.

Nyx was tempted to flip Gladio over his head and straddle him right there - they’d done worse, and even at thirty-five, Gladio could take it. But Nyx worried about destroying their temporarily-borrowed abode, so he just got up, turning his mouth against Gladio’s and breaking their kiss only when he had to. He came to stand in front of Gladio, and large hands swept up his legs and squeezed his ass. Nyx just answered with a “Yeah?” and looked down at Gladio where he sat.

They made their way to the bedroom in a haze of skin against skin, smiling into each other’s lips and laughing when they bumped into unfamiliar corners. When they finally reached the bed, Nyx sat down and propped himself back on an elbow. “If you wanna spoil _me_ , I have some ideas.”

Gladio raised a thick eyebrow in his direction. “I'm shocked.”

Nyx’s attempted cocky grin was swallowed in the power of Gladio’s next kiss, knocking him backward and making his eyes close. The breeze that wafted through the open window smelled like the sea, and it danced across Nyx’s skin as the warm wetness of Gladio’s lips and tongue trailed down his neck and chest, the bristles of his beard scraping pleasantly.

“Love your skin, babe.” There was that rumble again - the vibration tickled a little, and what started as a laugh hitched and caught in Nyx’s throat; it turned into a small groan as Gladio simultaneously ran his tongue over a nipple and palmed Nyx through his pants.

“It - shit, Gladio - it loves you too. More, please.”

There was a lot more - they had learned each other well enough, and filed away enough of each other’s favorite tricks, that they were both rock-hard and insistent by the time their clothes were fully off. They dove for each other almost like a spar from their younger days, but this time their mouths connected again in a passionate kiss. Nyx drew Gladio back over him as their tongues tangled, and ground his hips upward against Gladio until he heard the small sound he was looking for in the back of Gladio’s throat.

Nyx’s hand fit itself around Gladio’s jaw, and he enjoyed looking into his eyes for a long moment.  He felt a wave of pleasure roll through him as their lips connected again - pulsing harder as Gladio stroked him and he moaned. Large, slick fingers were easing him open, and Nyx felt Gladio’s breath wisp over his skin as he kissed behind his ear. Impatient, Nyx reached down to give Gladio a hard squeeze, drawing a low chuckle in response.

Nyx gasped as Gladio slid inside, and a few nonsensical syllables spilled out. Gladio just slid a hand behind Nyx’s head, kissed him deeply, and started to rock slowly. Nyx fit hands around his hips and held on. Their lovemaking was as sensual and sultry as the warm caress of the air outside, as sharp and intense as the shock of the cold water near the cliffs.

Nyx’s eyes were closed, overpowered by the intensity of their shared rhythm until Nyx was caught off-guard by the pleasure coursing through him, white-hot and urgent. He clenched and arched into the muscled arm under his back.  Another sharp sound escaped him as he felt Gladio pulse inside him, and Nyx’s eyes flew open again. He never got tired of that - there was the pure sensuality of it, sure, but it was also so intimate, watching the flushed expression of ecstasy on the face he loved. Maybe it was sappy, but this was one of the best parts of being together, in Nyx’s opinion.

That, and afterglow. More light, soft touches, a few more pleasantly tensed muscles, and Nyx grinned happily as he dragged a thin sheet over the two of them against the night ocean wind.

* * *

The ceremony was simple: just a few words exchanged outside (of course). Gladio flexed his fingers, thinking he could still feel the fabric that the officiant had used to wrap their hands together. It had been short but meaningful - a nice contrast to the lengthy Lucian weddings that Gladio had sometimes found tedious and rather empty. And though he felt the sting of his parents’ absence, Iris’ fiercely shining eyes when she’d taken his hand to place in Nyx’s had made his chest burn with pride. He’d looked at Nyx and Libertus and knew they felt the same, thinking that they’d done pretty well holding on to what family they had.

It wasn’t like they’d completely ignored Gladio’s heritage - it had been worked into the vows nicely. And he and Nyx wore suits that were the current fashion in Insomnia, but Gladio knew that was Nyx’s vanity as much as it was a nod to any particular tradition.

He wasn’t wrong to be confident. His pale gray suit highlighted the stormy beauty of his eyes, and it was tailored perfectly, emphasizing that sweep from shoulder to waist in a way that was as enticing as it was stylish. Gladio’s suit was well-fitted too, and he looked at Iris again in gratitude. Nyx had fussed at Gladio’s own deep coppery lapels that morning, more out of an excuse to touch him than out of any real need for straightening. Nyx had called him an enormous clotheshorse, but Gladio thought to himself that Nyx wore anything with ease. Just then, Nyx caught him looking and snickered. Gladio rolled his eyes and squeezed the hand in his - equal parts teasing and affection, like always.

One tradition Nyx hadn’t fully prepared Gladio for was the shots. Not photography - Prompto had actually handed the duties over to Talcott for the evening, and was enjoying himself. No, it was the Galahdian aquavit, which flowed like water at the reception. It was amazing - herbal and potent. Stronger, actually, than Gladio had been at all prepared for. As he and Nyx had walked from table to table, beaming and laughing and drinking in the sight of everyone gathered together, each table had demanded that the couple do a shot with them. Some tables more than one - the fabled Aunt Portia, for example, had (to Gladio’s relief) insisted that they drink to Gladio’s excellent performance in the hair-braiding department.

Gladio was a big man, but by the time everyone had been greeted, he was far beyond tipsy. He realized a little too late that Nyx had been taking a tiny sip from the shotglass each time instead of downing the entire thing. When he gave Nyx an uncoordinated scowl upon this discovery, Nyx just laughed at him and clasped his hand as they moved toward the dance floor.

“This just means I get to lead,” Nyx whispered into his ear, and Gladio cackled.

A beautiful soprano floated across the crowd, and Nyx’s eyes burned as he glanced over. Crowe was another one of their dear ones. Like the two of them, she’d almost been lost in the mess they’d been through. Having her here - having them all here, it made his chest swell and breath come short. She laid a hand along the side of the microphone and the notes of the song they’d chosen made Gladio smooth a palm across Nyx’s back in a fond caress.

Nyx wasn’t fool enough to think that this day was anything more than a day like any other. But having everyone here - almost everyone - Nyx knew that things would inevitably change, and people would pass and move on. His eyes scanned the room, a little blurry, and tried to commit it all to memory. The fond glances, the tears, the smiles. Just the gathered glow of everyone who’d allowed him to interrupt running an entire damn country so that Nyx could drag them out here to this godsforsaken group of islands. To try to mix some more memories into the swirling mass that greeted him every time those cliffs appeared on the horizon. Lots of them still hurt. But the jumble of kindness and sadness and - he looked at Gladio again - something beyond what he’d ever expected to find...it was pretty much perfect.

Yeah, this was home. But better.

Home:  in the way that Aranea tilted her chin on her hand dreamily, watching Crowe sing with glowing eyes; in the way Ravus enticed Ignis to stop fussing and dance with him with a gentle touch; in the way Luna swayed with Noct’s arm over her shoulders and Prompto’s hand clasped in her own, the three of them easy as usual even in formal wear.

Most of all, Nyx was home in the arms that encircled him and the voice that vibrated just enough for Nyx to hear it, murmuring soft words of love and happiness. The home he'd always found in those molten eyes - their beautiful honeyed amber color, sure, but mostly the warmth of the way Gladio looked at him.

After their dance ended, the noise of fireworks outside signaled the end of the night, and they headed out with everyone else. Nyx looked up, but it was more to watch Gladio’s profile catch the light than to look at the sets of fiery sparkles lighting the sky. As their mouths met imperfectly, Gladio let out a goofy little giggle.

“You’re trashed.”

“Yep.”

They shook more hands, discreetly wiped more tears, received more hugs in one day than either of them had ever had, and made their way back to their little borrowed cottage.  After they piled out of their ride, they waved on unsteady feet and turned to go inside. Of course it didn’t feel different to be married - except it did, because they knew it. It was a subtle, warm little flame inside Nyx’s chest that surprised him with how much it meant.

Gladio stripped off his finery and flopped on the bed, and Nyx joined him soon after, fitting their bodies together and running a light touch over Gladio’s face.  He picked his head up to brush their lips together, and they lay like that for hours, exchanging soft kisses and affectionate touches.

At some point, still-long, dark eyelashes swept down and didn’t blink back open, and a small snore escaped Gladio. It was late - or early - the black of the sky was almost giving way to purple, and Nyx settled down, happy to surrender his arm underneath his sleeping husband.

Nyx watched him in the dim light and thought fondly that if this was what the rest of his life was going to be like, it was going to be pretty amazing. It wasn’t long before the sound of the surf and the faint buzz rising from his partner lulled Nyx to sleep as well.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for various days of Gladio Rarepair Week - uses prompts "home," "scars," "drunk," and "devotion."  
> [This is the song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_C55DeU568A) I imagine Crowe singing. 
> 
> I do not apologize for how sappy this is. 
> 
> I do thank you very much for reading. Find me on Twitter @Stopmopingstart!


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